THE POST-BOY, London, England, Dec. 28, 1725  

* Nice masthead engravings
* Bethlehem Hospital "Bedlam"

Most of the front page is taken up with a report concerning raising money for a hospital for lunatics. Included is the Preamble to their purpose beginning: "Whereas the hospital of Bethlehem, London, was erected by charitable contributions and intended for the harboring poor Lunaticks, whose distractions might probably be cured..." with much more.
Single sheet newspaper, 8 1/2 by 14 inches, two decorative engravings in the masthead, great condition.

background: This museum-grade 1725 edition of The Post-Boy offers a bone-chilling yet profoundly significant window into the dawn of psychiatric history, capturing the exact moment London’s elite sought to fund the expansion of the world’s most infamous asylum: Bedlam. Featuring a remarkably preserved masthead with its iconic twin engravings, this 300-year-old artifact carries the original preamble for a massive charitable drive to harbor "poor Lunaticks," an early Enlightenment-era attempt to pivot from mere confinement toward the radical hope of a "cure." Printed on high-rag-content linen paper that has outlasted empires, this isn't just a newspaper; it is a visceral, primary-source heartbeat of Georgian London, connecting the modern collector to the very origins of mental health advocacy and the haunting legacy of Bethlehem Hospital.